Hi everyone. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I finished writing this story yesterday (I'm extremely unwell so fanfic has been my salvation!) and it will end at chapter 20. I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Seventeen

It has been five amazing days and I suddenly understand what it's like to 'be on cloud nine'. I was released from the hospital the next day and Joey came back to Summer Bay with Ruby and I. I've been off work because my breathing is still not right but I am aiming to be back in a few days. I wanted to go back sooner but they won't let me until Sid has given me the all clear. And he won't.

During my time off, I've just been enjoying myself. I've been doing much better with keeping my inhaler with me and using it properly. Joey has been keen on reminding me and I'm quite enjoying being looked after, which I never thought I would.

Everything has just been so lovely. Joey is staying with us, and in my room. We haven't got too intimate but we spend a lot of time holding hands, cuddling and kissing. It's amazing and I think we both appreciate taking things slowly. My feelings for her are even stronger than before and this time, I don't have the anxiety that plagued me and caused me to make stupid decisions.

I feel like we're really getting the chance to start again and get it right. We've already fallen into a happy domestic pattern and she's as bonded with Leah, VJ and Ruby as she always used to be. We haven't ventured out very far for various reasons – namely, I don't want to run into Brax just yet and she doesn't want to see Brett until she's ready.

She's making sure I eat properly and breathe properly and it's been so wonderful to reconnect with her. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world – not only did I get one chance with someone as amazing as her, but I got a second chance too. I don't deserve it but I am so grateful and I am utterly determined not to screw it up this time.

I've really enjoyed hearing about what her life has been like since she left Summer Bay. She worked on the trawlers for a while and then started work with the cruise ship company and says that she had some of the best experiences of her life on there. She's been saving up her wages to come to shore and start her own business, which she is seriously considering beginning in Summer Bay. I really hope she does. But if she chooses somewhere else then I will just have to deal with it and try to see her as often as possible. If we can get through everything we've already dealt with then a bit of distance shouldn't be a problem.

She was a little shy about telling me about relationships she's had since we were last together but I encouraged her to be open with me. I want to know who she is now, who she has become since I last knew her and relationships are a big part of that. Of course it isn't easy to hear of how she loved other people but I'm hardly one to talk, am I? If it wasn't for me and my own stupidity, we would have stayed together all these years.

"I met a girl called Katie while I was on the trawler," she told me. "Not the first time but after the three months, when I'd decided not to come back."

We both looked a little sad at the mention of our lack of reunion and instinctively reached for each other's hands.

"She was really good to me when I was feeling pretty low about everything," she said. "All I'd been living for up until that point was coming home and making things work with you so I didn't really know what to do with myself at that point."

I nodded and squeezed her hand, apologising softly. All this time, I had wondered why she had refused to return to me, little knowing that once again, it was all my own fault. If I hadn't given into my sense of loss and hooked up with Angelo then she would have come back to me. But maybe even then, I wouldn't have appreciated her the way I should have, the way I do now. Maybe everything played out the way it was meant to in order for us to be in the right place to be together again.

"She was a really good friend and we had a lot in common," she continued. "We both enjoyed the trawler work and we spent days together when we were ashore. She was gay too and had come out of a pretty intense relationship so we just kind of fell into a romance. It was nice and I'm still in touch with her, still friendly."

I nodded, gazing at her. Of course I felt a twinge at how close they obviously were but mostly, I was glad that she had had someone to help her heal her heart, the one I broke.

"It wasn't a mad, passionate romance or anything," Joey said. "But we were happy together. We were friends more than anything and we relied on each other. But after the job came to a close, we realised that we were heading in different directions. She wanted to go back home and settle down and I wanted to keep travelling, keep sailing. So we broke up, stayed friends and got on with our lives."

"You were happy with her though?" I asked.

Joey nodded.

"I still missed you," she told me. "And I knew Katie and I were friends more than anything because we could both sit and lament over our lost loves. She knew all about you and how I felt about you. And I knew how she felt about her ex. It was kind of a strange relationship in some ways, I guess, but it worked for us."

She paused speaking and played with my fingers, the way she always does when she is hesitant about speaking about something. I didn't badger her. I just waited patiently.

"The next relationship I had was a bit of a whirlwind," she told me. "Her name was Olivia and she was a dancer on the cruise ship. I fell pretty hard for her… not quite as hard as I fell for you but close."

She looked a little anxious. I smiled gently at her, showing that she hadn't said anything wrong.

"It was a bit crazy," she said. "We had this really intense, passionate romance but I never knew where I stood with her. She wanted an open relationship where she didn't have to commit to any of the girls or guys she was with. It worked for a while but I realised a few months ago that that's just not my thing."

She sighed and looked a little embarrassed.

"I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart," she said, as if it was something to be ashamed of.

"That's not a bad thing, Joey," I told her.

"I know," Joey replied, although she didn't sound convinced. "After I ended things between us, she got really upset and decided to try and commit to me. But it lasted about two weeks before she was back in her own habits. The cruise ended and I haven't seen her since. It was… well, it was pretty random, really."

"Has there been anyone else?" I asked.

"Not until I got off my last trip and found the love of my life waiting for me with flowers, ready to pass out," she remarked with a cheeky grin.

I laughed and kissed her.

"As long as you're happy that that happened," I said.

"Of course I'm happy," she replied. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

I shifted so that I could gaze into her eyes.

"I'm glad you're here," I said.

"I'm glad too," Joey replied. "I'm sorry about what it took to bring us back together and it breaks my heart to think of everything you've been through. But I'm so happy that you still love me and that you went to so much trouble to find me. I'm so glad that we've got this second chance."

I swear, she couldn't have said anything more wonderful than that. To know that we're on the same page with our feelings is so important. I don't think it's possible to be happier than I am right now.

Next time… Charlie is mortified to end up in hospital again…